Rotary conveyor apparatus

Abstract

A conveyor comprises a plurality of rotors spaced longitudinally along a conveyor frame, each rotor having a rotatable shaft on which is fixed a number of axially spaced discs. The discs are staggered laterally of the conveyor and are of such diameter that the discs of adjacent rotors overlap one another. Each disc has at least one notch in its periphery, but the remainder of the peripheral surface is smooth. The notches of the discs of each rotor are adapted to support a workpiece and transfer it from one rotor to another in response to rotation thereof. A barrier is mounted between each adjacent pair of rotors to prevent transfer of a workpiece from one set of discs to another unless the workpiece is properly seated in the notches of the upstream rotor. Each rotor has a clutch assembly connecting it to a continuously operable driving motor, thereby enabling any rotor to cease rotation without stopping the motor.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. Conveyor apparatus comprising a plurality of rotors; means mounting said rotors for rotation about spaced apart axes, each of said rotors including a set of discs each of which has at least one recess in its periphery, the spacing between the discs of each set being such as to enable a workpiece to be accommodated and supported in the recesses of said set of discs, the discs of adjacent sets and the spacing between the axes of adjacent rotors being such that the peripheries of the discs of adjacent rotors overlap one another; continuously operable drive means; and clutch means coupling said drive means to the respective rotors for selectively enabling and disabling rotation of said rotors in one direction only and such that a workpiece supported in the recesses of one set of discs is moved downstream through an arc toward the next adjacent set of discs for engagement with the peripheries of the discs of said next adjacent set or for accommodation in the recesses thereof, depending upon the relative rotary positions of said one set of discs and said next adjacent set of discs, each of said recesses being of such radial depth and having a trailing surface of such radial abruptness that engagement of a workpiece supported in the recesses of the discs of any upstream one of said rotors with the peripheries of the discs of the next adjacent downstream rotor will disable rotation of said one upstream rotor until the next adjacent downstream rotor has rotated to a position in which the recesses in its discs may accommodate said workpiece. 
     
     
       2. Conveyor apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the recess in each of said discs has a leading surface joined to said trailing surface by an intermediate surface, the radial abruptness of said leading surface being less than that of said trailing surface. 
     
     
       3. Conveyor apparatus according to claim 1 including barrier means; means mounting said barrier means between adjacent ones of said rotors and at a level to engage a workpiece in engagement with the peripheries of said next adjacent downstream set of discs but not accommodated in the recesses thereof. 
     
     
       4. Conveyor apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the recesses in the respective discs of each of said sets are of different size. 
     
     
       5. Conveyor apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the recesses in the respective discs of each of said sets are of generally uniform configuration. 
     
     
       6. Conveyor apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the diameters of the respective discs of each of said sets are different. 
     
     
       7. Conveyor apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said barrier means are supported at such level that a workpiece accommodated in the recesses of said adjacent set of discs may pass said barrier means without engaging the latter. 
     
     
       8. Conveyor apparatus comprising a pair of spaced apart, parallel supports; a plurality of shafts spanning said supports and being spaced from one another longitudinally thereof; means mounting each of said shafts on said supports for rotation; a set of spaced apart discs fixed to each of said shafts for rotation therewith, the discs on adjacent shafts being staggered axially of the respective shafts, the diameters of said discs and the spacing between said shafts being such that the discs on adjacent shafts overlap each other; driving means; and clutch means coupling said driving means to each of said shafts and enabling rotation of each shaft independently of the others in the absence of predetermined resistance to its rotation, said clutch means enabling rotation of any shaft to stall in response to the application thereto of predetermined resistance to its rotation, the discs of each set of discs having at least one notch therein, the discs of each set having their notches in lateral alignment for supporting a workpiece and transporting the latter downstream in one direction longitudinally of said supports in response to rotation of the associated shaft, each of said notches being of such radial depth and having a trailing surface of such radial abruptness that a workpiece accommodated in the notches of one upstream set of said discs and in engagement with the peripheries of the discs of the next adjacent downstream set of discs will stall rotation of the shaft of which said one upstream set of discs is fixed until such time as the discs of said next adjacent downstream set of discs have been rotated to a position in which said workpiece may be accommodated in the notches of the discs of the next adjacent downstream set of discs, thereby enablng transfer of said workpiece to the notches of the next adjacent downstream set of discs. 
     
     
       9. Conveyor apparatus according to claim 8 wherein each of said notches has a leading surface joined to said trailing surface by an intermediate surface, said leading surface being less abrupt than the trailing surface. 
     
     
       10. Conveyor apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said clutch means includes adjustable means operable to vary the resistance required to stall rotation of any selected one of said shafts. 
     
     
       11. Conveyor apparatus according to claim 8 including barrier means mounted on said supports between adjacent ones of said shafts and at a level such as to be engaged by a workpiece supported on the peripheries of the set of discs immediately downstream from said barrier means.